Future Thinkers

Future Thinkers is a media platform, community, and education portal dedicated to the evolution of technology, society, and consciousness and becoming better adapted to the future.
Created by Mike Gilliland and Euvie Ivanova.

Our guest in this episode is Charles Eisenstein, the author of "Sacred Economics" and his most recent book "Climate: A New Story". Charles explores deep civilization narratives and mythologies, and connections between economics, politics and spirituality. We talk about why the current narrative of climate change is not working, and how to create conditions for a deep change on the personal and collective level.

This interview comes out in two parts. In part one we talk about transitioning from a reductionist view of climate change to a holistic, system-based view of the living planet. We also discuss our civilization and our stories from an archetypal perspective, and talk about how to adapt to the future.

In part two we cover the basics of the gift economy, the concepts of economic de-growth and demonetization, and what it takes to implement these changes in our societies. We also talk about restoring the wealth of time, relationships and meaning.

In This Episode of Future Thinkers: - The current climate narrative, and why it isn't working - The reductionist mindset and the climate crisis - The war mentality and externalizing energy - What needs to change about the way human civilization solves problems - How to change the mindset from materialistic to holistic, and the role of psychedelics - Why young generations default to a more sophisticated consciousness than the older generations - What are the concrete steps to make a change and adapt to the future - Archetypal perspective on civilization and the completion of the Hero phase - The important social change initiatives around the world - Why cryptocurrencies are "the old story in disguise" - The gift economy and the technological ways to restore the gift culture - The concepts of economic de-growth and demonetization - Changing the mindset from economic growth to growing in connections, time and meaning - Stepping into the King and Queen archetypes as a civilization

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/81

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

Our guest in this episode is Charles Eisenstein, the author of "Sacred Economics" and his most recent book "Climate: A New Story". Charles explores deep civilization narratives and mythologies, and connections between economics, politics and spirituality. We talk about why the current narrative of climate change is not working, and how to create conditions for a deep change on the personal and collective level.

This interview comes out in two parts. In part one we talk about transitioning from a reductionist view of climate change to a holistic, system-based view of the living planet. We also discuss our civilization and our stories from an archetypal perspective, and talk about how to adapt to the future.

In part two we cover the basics of the gift economy, the concepts of economic de-growth and demonetization, and what it takes to implement these changes in our societies. We also talk about restoring the wealth of time, relationships and meaning.

In This Episode of Future Thinkers: - The current climate narrative, and why it isn't working - The reductionist mindset and the climate crisis - The war mentality and externalizing energy - What needs to change about the way human civilization solves problems - How to change the mindset from materialistic to holistic, and the role of psychedelics - Why young generations default to a more sophisticated consciousness than the older generations - What are the concrete steps to make a change and adapt to the future - Archetypal perspective on civilization and the completion of the Hero phase - The important social change initiatives around the world - Why cryptocurrencies are "the old story in disguise" - The gift economy and the technological ways to restore the gift culture - The concepts of economic de-growth and demonetization - Changing the mindset from economic growth to growing in connections, time and meaning - Stepping into the King and Queen archetypes as a civilization

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/81

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

The last two feminine archetypes we are covering in this series are The Witch and The Queen.

The common association with The Witch is a wicked old woman that we see in many movies or stories for children. However, this interpretation has a lot of historical religious bias, which we deconstruct in this episode. We discuss The Witch in her fullest - as a powerful creative force and bringer of disruptive ideas.

We also talk about The Queen Archetype, a fully integrated combination of all the other feminine archetypes that can emerge when the woman matures.

At the end we propose a few exercises that can help you evoke different archetypes in your psyche or better understand other people's behavior.

Understanding the archetypes can help us see our blind spots, refine our strengths, and ultimately bring about deep and profound personal transformation.

So with this episode we are finishing our Jungian archetype series, where we explored four masculine (Lover, Warrior, Magician, King) and five feminine archetypes (Mother, Amazon, Lover, Witch, Queen).

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers:

The Witch - the seeker and bringer of deep and secret knowledge

Pagan origins of witches

Connection with the secret laws of nature, medicine and healing

Why the church was afraid of the witches and tortured them

Modern manifestations of The Witch archetype in arts, science and technology

Examples of women who embody this archetype

Childhood manifestations of the Witch archetype

The biggest vice of the shadow version of The Witch

The Manipulator and The Fool - the active and passive shadows of The Witch

Why it's harder for women to integrate all the archetypes in modern society

The Queen - completing the sequential development of feminine archetypes

Practical questions and exercises to help you recognize and develop different archetypes

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/80

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

Today we are exploring the feminine archetype of The Lover, which to a certain extent mirrors its masculine counterpart but also has its own specific traits. The feminine Lover is the embodiment of love, beauty and creativity. While researching this topic, we've discovered that it is difficult to talk and write about this archetype, as female sexuality still hasn't been fully reconciled and accepted in post-agricultural society. We are covering the Lover Archetype through history, psychological development, culture, arts and popular media.

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers:

Hetaira - the version of the Lover Archetype in ancient Greece

Why societies have had problems with female sexuality throughout history

Time-biased and role-based descriptions of The Lover archetype in literature

The Lover in hippie culture of the 20th century - mythological interpretations

The full expression of the Lover Archetype and its benefits for women

Connections between sexuality and creativity

How The Lover and The Amazon complement each other in the same person

Oppression and abuse as common triggers of the Lover's shadow versions

Childhood manifestations and the shadow version of Daddy's Girl

Femme Fatale as the expression of childhood oppression of sexuality

Initiation through acceptance of grief and ways to overcome trauma related to sexuality

The Amazon archetype is the embodiment of an ambitious, adventurous, and independent woman. She is the feminine version of The Warrior archetype, fighting for the values she believes in. This is a very common archetype in movies - Wonder Woman, Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, and Ripley in Alien are some of the many examples. In everyday life, many women in business, politics, and sports occupy this archetype.

As all the other archetypes, The Amazon too has its childhood and adult manifestations, as well as active and passive shadow versions. In this episode we discuss why The Amazon is so relevant in today's world.

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers

Why The Amazon Archetype is so prevalent in popular culture and media

The most recognizable traits of The Amazon

The seeds of The Amazon in the Explorer Child

Miss Know-It-All and the active shadow of The Amazon in childhood

The Pushover and how the shadow polarities often play off of each other

Why professions dominated by men often attract The Amazon

How The Amazon manifests in activism - the positive and shadow versions

The aggressive Vigilante as the active shadow in an adult Amazon

The Victim - the Amazon's shadow weak side

The examples of The Amazon archetype in movies, history, and modern life

Overlaps between feminine and masculine archetypes, and how either gender can apply them

The progression of feminine archetypes in a person's life

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/78

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

After covering Jungian masculine archetypes in previous four episodes, today we are starting to explore feminine archetypes. Even though there is somewhat less literature and research on this topic, there are certain archetypes that are consistently described across the different systems. So in the second part of this series, we will explore the archetypes of The Mother, The Amazon, The Lover, The Witch, and The Queen.

We begin with The Mother, the characteristics of her full expression and her shadow versions, as well as the examples from popular culture, that will help you better understand and recognize this archetype.

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers:

The biological foundations of motherhood that determine the qualities of The Mother archetype

The Mother in its fullness as the expression of nurturing, empathy, and complete acceptance

Professions that benefit from a strong presence of this archetype

Manifestations of The Mothers' energy in children

How anyone can use The Mother archetype to increase their wellbeing

Helicopter Mother - the most common shadow version in today's society

How the Mother archetype shows up in activism

How to recognize when you are stepping into the shadow version of The Mother

Mother as nature itself; that which gives and takes away life

Examples of this archetype in mythology and popular culture

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/77

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

The King Archetype represents an integrated version of all other masculine archetypes.

The Lover, The Warrior and The Magician in their full expressions, with all positive traits solidified, are baked into The King. Interestingly enough, the childhood version of this archetype - The Divine Child, is the first one to emerge in a person's life. To fully integrate the mature version of The King archetype, it usually takes many years and a lot of life experience.

In this episode, we give an overview of The King's traits, its shadow versions, as well as how to access it in its fullness regardless of your age or the stage of life you are at.

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers: - Recognizing the King's traits in children's behavior - The Divine Child as the embodiment of pure love, joy, and hope for the future - The Highchair Tyrant — the seeds of narcissism and entitlement - The Weakling Prince as the passive shadow of The King Archetype - Integrity, order, decisiveness, and responsibility in the full expression of The King - The importance of mentoring and giving "blessings" to young men - The home as the first domain of The King's sovereignty Productive, creative, protective of others — the important roles of The King - How being hyper-intellectual and hyper-rational can lead to shadow manifestations of The King - Different kinds of legacies The King can leave behind - How to apply and manifest the King's traits in everyday life

The Magician is the third Jungian masculine archetype in this series. The Magician has a deep curiosity for everything in life — he is willing to put in the effort to learn the secret knowledge and teach it to the others. He uncovers things that are not immediately obvious, understands how they work and applies that knowledge to creating something new. So, in relation to The Warrior, for example, The Magician is the creative force and the thinker who drives the actions of The Warrior.

In this episode, we talk about the full expression of The Magician archetype, the well-known magician characters from popular fiction, as well as the examples of magicians in our culture and science. We also talk about its shadow versions, and how to recognize them in business or within your community.

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers:

The Magician Archetype in its esoteric and mundane context

The common trait of magicians — putting in an extraordinary effort to learn hidden knowledge

The willingness to share knowledge and give secret information to the people

Why there is such lack of mentorship and apprenticeship in this age

The path of learning secret knowledge in the past and the importance of initiation

Shamanism as an expression of The Magician Archetype and the stigma surrounding this practice

Recognizing the shadow versions of The Magician in pickup artists, marketing gurus, manipulators, or cult leaders

The Detached Manipulator and The Innocent One — the dark sides of The Magician

Why holding secret knowledge comes with difficulties and great responsibility

Examples of The Magician Archetype in arts, technology, science and popular culture

How to access this archetype in your own self-development practice

Rediscovering the sacred space in your everyday life

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/75

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

Archetypes can be defined as the primordial modes of being, sets of behavior, or energies that we as humans occupy on both biological and psychological levels. Archetypes were largely explored and described by psychiatrist Carl Jung.

The second Jungian masculine archetype we are covering in this series is The Warrior. It is the most misunderstood archetype in our culture, often connected with unnecessary violence and tyranny. However, in its full expression, The Warrior is needed in order to bring about productive change in the world. We discuss how this archetype manifests in its childhood and mature versions, and talk about its characteristics and some well known versions of it like The Bully, The Hero, The Sadist, The Nice Guy etc.

"A man who is obsessed with his success has already lost."

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers:

Characteristics of The Warrior archetype

Aggression as the positive trait — making effort to succeed, being assertive, and having initiative

Shadow version of The Warrior in childhood — The Bully

How The Hero manifests in childhood and adulthood

The suppressed aggression in a Nice Guy

Why today's society sees no need for aggression and actively discourages it

The Warrior as a force of creative destruction

The highest traits of this archetype — discipline, focus, open awareness, adaptability, humility

The Sadist and The Masochist as dysfunctional polarities of The Warrior

Examples of warriors from popular films and culture

How to integrate this archetype in a pro-social and productive way

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/74

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

With this episode, we are starting an eight-part series on the topic of masculine and feminine archetypes that are present in our culture. The first of the four masculine archetypes we are covering is The Lover. We talk about its positive and negative aspects in relation to the masculine psyche, and how it manifests in childhood and adulthood. Also, we share some ideas and advice on how to experience and embody The Lover in a healthy way.

In This Episode Of Future Thinkers:

The manifestations of Lover Archetype in the developmental phase of a child

Oedipal child's desire for connection in its healthy and shadow versions

Mamma's boy and Dreamer types of a child

The misconception of the Lover Archetype in the Western culture

Lover Archetype in adults and its shadows

The characteristics of an Addicted and Impotent Lover

Expansion and deep connections as the spiritual side of The Lover

How to encourage sensitivity and embodiment of a healthy Lover Archetype

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/73

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

To explore this topic, we start with the idea that for 99% of history, humans were hunters-gatherers and evolved to live a very different lifestyle — spending time outdoors and tightly connected to their communities. Now that we live indoors, sitting in front of a computer, not socializing or exercising sufficiently, eating processed food, our modern lifestyle is not in line with our nature, and that is the major factor of the present epidemic of depression.

IN THIS EPISODE OF FUTURE THINKERS:

- Evoking the life of our ancestors to learn more about our modern life - Invisible stress factors from our environment that contribute to depression - Media consumption as an important influence factor for feeling helpless and depressed - Training ourselves to pinpoint the exact cause of our distress - Increasing self-sovereignty as an important tool for overcoming depression - 6 simple steps to alleviate depression symptoms - The importance of daily routines and habits to shift your state

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/72

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

Today we talk about the value of novelty as one of the basic human needs. A sense of novelty is something that many people seek out and use different tools to achieve. Going back thousands of years, psychedelics or meditation were used to achieve novel states of consciousness, and these tools can still be used today.

We discuss how to induce the state where everything feels new as if seen through the eyes of a child. We talk about the language and conceptual overlays that stand between ordinary consciousness and the state of being immersed in the raw experience of the world.

IN THIS EPISODE OF FUTURE THINKERS:

- How we use language to fit all of our experiences into existing conceptual frameworks - Why the state of uncertainty makes us uncomfortable - Why stability is useful and why we need to make sense of the world - The utility of being in a state of newness - Novelty as alchemy — how to make that experience part of everyday life - How meditation helps us get into the state of openness - Using psychedelics as a tool to remove the analytical overlay and use our primary senses - What would global society look like if we would collectively tap into our raw perception - Why being able to exist in the state of uncertainty makes you more adaptive

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/71

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

Our guest in this episode is Pia Mancini, a political scientist and activist from Argentina, who has spent most of her career researching and experimenting how we can upgrade democracy for the modern world. She is the co-founder of Open Collective, which supports groups to quickly set up a collective, raise funds and manage them transparently, and Democracy Earth, an open source and decentralized democratic governance protocol for any kind of organization. Today we talk about how democracy can function better in the age of internet, why we are seeing signs of the return of the city-state, how to build a self-sovereign identity, pros and cons of liquid democracy, and how to enable large scale cooperation in decision making.

IN THIS EPISODE OF FUTURE THINKERS:

- Why democracy is outdated and which aspects of it need to be upgraded

- How the trust in society is shifting from present political systems to technology based solutions - Flow and access to information as a primer purpose of future political systems - Pros and cons of liquid democracy and how to build it on a global scale - How nation states are being challenged by cryptocurrency - The rising power of cities and possible return of city-states to the world - The minimum capabilities and structures that a city of the future needs to provide for its citizens - The challenges of building a self-sovereign identity that is resistant to civil attacks - What structures are useful to test and implement in order to deal with problems such as climate change or extremist governments

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/70

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

In today's world of either broadcasting or consuming information, people seem to have forgotten how to really listen. In this episode, we explore how we have arrived at this point where we can no longer listen to other people or our environment, and how to re-learn that crucial skill. We talk about different ways of listening, frameworks we can use to understand people better, as well as practical steps towards becoming better listeners.

IN THIS EPISODE OF FUTURE THINKERS:

- How being immersed in a constant noise of information affects our mind - The lack of opportunities to be still and listen to someone else or your environment - Listening as a three-dimensional experience - The goal of active listening and the "ping test" - Possible causes of unwillingness to understand others' perspectives - Did people's attention skills really decrease in recent years? - Practical ways to improve our listening skills - Using the internet to express yourself and characteristics of online interactions - Different frameworks for understanding people's behaviors and basic needs - Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/69

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

In this episode, we talk about our experiences with the digital nomad lifestyle and how it has shifted our perspectives on the world over the past six years.

This modern-day nomadism also relates to the tribal nomadic lifestyle that humans led for thousand of years before agriculture was invented. We discuss the benefits and downsides of this kind of life, and how our relationship to time, location, finances, education, future, different cultures, politics, and society have changed with the experience of being digital nomads.

IN THIS EPISODE OF FUTURE THINKERS:

- How and why we became digital nomads - The journey of attaining time freedom, financial freedom and location freedom - Cultural differences between the East and West, and the relativity of global problems - Ancient roots and causes of nomadic lifestyle - Being adaptive as the crucial capacity of nomadic life - Fostering variation, novelty, and making your life a creative exercise - The future of states and services they provide for digital nomads - Pros and cons of a nomadic lifestyle - What is a radical self-responsibility mindset - Implications of a nomadic lifestyle for child-rearing and education - Long-term travel as a form of initiation - Learning to live with uncertainty as a key skill for the future

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/68

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

In this episode we talk about adaptability as one of the most important skills to have for the future. The current chaotic state of the world often leaves people feeling scared and helpless. We discuss how to move into a more resourceful mindset. We talk about mental flexibility, self-sovereignty, modern nomadism, minimalism, the need for retooling, and other options that can help us become more adaptive and transition more readily into the world of the future.

IN THIS EPISODE OF FUTURE THINKERS:

- Practicing self-sovereignty instead of offloading responsibility to external entities - How to build mental flexibility to adapt as fast as possible to the rapidly changing world - Re-adopting a nomadic lifestyle as one possible response to the state of the world - Re-framing the collapse of current systems as a transition into a new state of being - The importance of retooling in order to overcome the feeling of helplessness - Why it is useful to adopt a minimalist mindset instead of accumulating possessions - How to hold multiple perspectives and frameworks at the same time - How to overcome fear of competition and be more specific about your goals - Building meme tribes of the future

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/67

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

In this episode we are discussing the concepts from the book "Finite and Infinite Games" by James P. Carse. It's a great book that explores game theory as a general framework for how to operate in life. It applies to every area: work, relationships, business, politics, how we treat nature etc. We talk about what finite and infinite games are, and how to recognize which game we are playing. We also go over examples and practical applications that can help with gaining perspective and making wiser choices.

Show notes: http://www.futurethinkers.org/66

Join the Future Thinkers Community on Discord: https://www.futurethinkers.org/discord

Ramez Naam, computer scientist, futurist and author of five books, including The Nexus trilogy and The Infinite Resource, discusses intersections between blockchain, energy and transport, taking responsibility for the use of technology, and creating a positive future.

Guy Standing, one of the world's most prominent researchers and authors on the subject of basic income, talks about the evolution of the idea, the results of basic income pilot experiments, and how it can be made a reality on a larger scale.